 FROM THE DESK OF RANDALL A. KROCKA SMOHIT Administrator __________________________________________________________________ New OSHA reporting requirements go into effect January 1 Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, there will be a change to what covered employers are required to report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within eight hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding about the incident. OSHA will be on Twitter, Dec. 11, 2014 to answer your questions about the new reporting requirements going into effect at the beginning of the New Year. Join the Twitter chat from 1 - 2 p.m. EST, where you can ask questions and follow the conversation live using the hashtag #Reporting2015. Previously, employers were required to report all workplace fatalities and when three or more workers were hospitalized in the same incident. The updated reporting requirements have a life-saving purpose: they will enable employers and workers to prevent future injuries by identifying and eliminating the most serious workplace hazards. Employers have three options for reporting these severe incidents to OSHA. They can call their nearest area office during normal business hours; they can call the 24-hour OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742), or they can report online. For more information and resources, visit OSHA's Web page on the updated reporting requirements and watch OSHA's new YouTube video, where Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, explains the new reporting requirements.
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